Vehicle operation system

Abstract

A contact operating region in an input device disposed on a vehicle front side than a steering wheel and at a position which is operable by an operator without releasing his hand from the steering wheel has at least one reference operation surface, and a three-dimensional operation surface. A virtual input section graphic and a plurality of selection icons are displayed on a display region of a display device, the virtual input section graphic having a virtual reference operation surface and a virtual three-dimensional operation surface, the plurality of selection icons being related to the operation of a vehicle onboard device disposed to be spaced apart from each other. A controller moves the virtual input section graphic and the selection icons in the direction in which the virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface are alternately connected.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vehicle operation system comprising:
 an input device including at least one contact operating region and a motion detecting unit, the one contact operating region being disposed on a vehicle front side than a steering wheel and at a position which is operable by an operator without releasing his hand from the steering wheel, and being performed a contact operation with fingers thereto when the operator operates a vehicle onboard device, the motion detecting unit being capable of detecting a contact operation pattern of the operator to the contact operating region;   a display device that displays information on an operation of the vehicle onboard device; and   a controller configured to send a command to the vehicle onboard device and the display device, based on an output signal of the motion detecting unit according to the contact operation pattern, wherein   the contact operating region has at least one reference operation surface, has at least one of a protruding operation surface protruding to the reference operation surface and a recessed operation surface recessed to the reference operation surface, as a three-dimensional operation surface, and sets a direction in which the reference operation surface and the three-dimensional operation surface are alternately connected, as an operating direction of a sliding operation of an operator's finger,   a virtual input section graphic and a plurality of selection icons are displayed on a display region of the display device, the virtual input section graphic having a virtual reference operation surface which simulates the reference operation surface, and a virtual three-dimensional operation surface which simulates the three-dimensional operation surface, the plurality of selection icons being related to the operation of the vehicle onboard devices disposed to be spaced apart from each other in a direction in which the virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface are alternately connected, and   the controller moves the virtual input section graphic and the selection icon in a direction in which the virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface are alternately connected, in accordance with the operating direction of the sliding operation detected on the basis of the output signal of the motion detecting unit.   
     
     
         2 . The vehicle operation system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a central portion of the steering wheel and a central portion of the display region are made to correspond to each other, and the virtual input section graphic is displayed on the display region in such a manner that an arrangement of the virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface to the central portion of the display region is made to correspond to an arrangement of the contact operating region to the central portion of the steering wheel, and the direction in which the virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface are alternately connected is made to correspond to the operating direction of the sliding operation.   
     
     
         3 . The vehicle operation system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the virtual three-dimensional operation surface is emphatically displayed.   
     
     
         4 . The vehicle operation system according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the virtual three-dimensional operation surface is emphatically displayed.   
     
     
         5 . The vehicle operation system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 when the sliding operation to the contact operating region is assumed as an operation along an arc-shaped circumferential direction, the virtual input section graphic having the arc-shaped virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface made to correspond to the circumferential direction, and a plurality of selection icons disposed to be apart from one another along the circumferential direction of the virtual reference operation surface are displayed on the display region, and   the controller rotates the virtual input section graphic and the selection icons in the circumferential direction of the virtual reference operation surface, in accordance with the operating direction of the sliding operation which is detected on the basis of the output signal of the motion detecting unit.   
     
     
         6 . The vehicle operation system according to  claim 2 , wherein
 when the sliding operation to the contact operating region is assumed as an operation along an arc-shaped circumferential direction, the virtual input section graphic having the arc-shaped virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface made to correspond to the circumferential direction, and a plurality of selection icons disposed to be apart from one another along the circumferential direction of the virtual reference operation surface are displayed on the display region, and   the controller rotates the virtual input section graphic and the selection icons in the circumferential direction of the virtual reference operation surface, in accordance with the operating direction of the sliding operation which is detected on the basis of the output signal of the motion detecting unit.   
     
     
         7 . The vehicle operation system according to  claim 3 , wherein
 when the sliding operation to the contact operating region is assumed as an operation along an arc-shaped circumferential direction, the virtual input section graphic having the arc-shaped virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface made to correspond to the circumferential direction, and a plurality of selection icons disposed to be apart from one another along the circumferential direction of the virtual reference operation surface are displayed on the display region, and   the controller rotates the virtual input section graphic and the selection icons in the circumferential direction of the virtual reference operation surface, in accordance with the operating direction of the sliding operation which is detected on the basis of the output signal of the motion detecting unit.   
     
     
         8 . The vehicle operation system according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the reference operation surface is formed in an arc shape in accordance with the virtual reference operation surface.   
     
     
         9 . The vehicle operation system according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the virtual input section graphic is a three-dimensional figure which represents a disc, a fan body, an annular body or a part of the annular body, and the virtual input section graphic has the virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface on an outer circumferential surface thereof.   
     
     
         10 . The vehicle operation system according to  claim 8 , wherein
 the virtual input section graphic is a three-dimensional figure which represents a disc, a fan body, an annular body or a part of the annular body, and the virtual input section graphic has the virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface on an outer circumferential surface thereof.   
     
     
         11 . The vehicle operation system according to  claim 9 , wherein
 the virtual input section graphic has at least one set of a combination of a simulated reference operation surface that simulates the virtual reference operation surface and a simulated three-dimensional operation surface that simulates the virtual three-dimensional operation surface on the outer circumferential surface, and   the combination of the simulated reference operation surface and the simulated three-dimensional operation surface is disposed to be connected to the combination of the virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface, in the direction in which the virtual reference operation surface and the virtual three-dimensional operation surface are alternately disposed.